Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1887-08-04
WHERE THEFT WAS UNKNOWN.
Remarkable Condition of California When
Gold Was Discovered.

Remarkable Condition of California When
Gold Was Discovered.
A remarkable state of aft airs existed in
California for tae first year after the dis
overy OF gold, says Ii. II. Bancroft in
popular Tribunals" The first miners
we're made up in great measure of men
already living here; they were honest men
and had deserted the towns to dig gold
and not to defraud their neighbors. Many
were known to each other, aud few were
wholly unknown. Peaceaoly and in n
primitive way each for himself picked
the precious metal from the river-b
and crevices, washed it from -the sands
that lined the streams. or sought a place
of his own to dig for il, with no desire to
enroach on ground chosen by another.
Rights we're respected; theft was IN
known A pick or shovel thrown upon
the ground sticks driven into the earth,
or o written or posted notice that GER
tain spot was claimed was sufficient to Sc
care 1t against all corners. Miners lived
much in the open air, in cloth tenements
on rude huts, leaving their gold dust in
bags or bottles unguarded in tent or cabin.
The merchandise of the trader was Sc
cured only by walls of cloth, which could
be easily cut through with = pocket-knife.
Goods stacked up by the road side, miles
from any camp, remained undisturbed
for weeks and months. Houses and
cattle were safe to roam at large. After
the winter rains had ceased and water
for washing gold had disappeared, in GER
tain localities piles of rich dirt were
thrown up to be washed out when rain
should come again. And though these
heaps were often the result of great labor
and contained much wealth, they remain
ed undsturbed during the summer, and
when autumn came fell to their rightful
owners. Differences of opinion were
settled by "leaving 1t to the crowd And
so il was the first corners found less dis
cord existing here than anywhere else in
Christendom.
Vessels arrived so fast in San Francisco
| that they could find no accommodation for
1 their cargoes on shore. Great quantities
! OF merchandise Of all kinds were dis
/ charged and piled up along the beach.
! All of IL was wholly exposed, although
much OF it was valuable Yet all this
/ time there was scarcely a lock on the
! door of any dwelling store or warehouse
/ in San Francisco. During this truly
/ golden age of integrity it never seemed
to occur to those honest folk that there
were any persons in the world who would
wrongfully take their property from
them II is said that there was but one
case of theft in San Francisco prior to
October, 1649 and this was a Mexican
who stole some blankets, for which he
was publicly whipped on the plaza.
During the autumn Of lS4S there were
no such things along the slopes of the
F. Sierras as government, judges, sherifis
tax collectors or other officers OF the Law
/ All were absolutely free and we're thrown
upon their good behavior. Bot in good
time it seemed 70 dawn upon the crimi
nails of the world that a gold yieldsng
wilderness without jail or gallows must
be the very paradise 70: thieves And
with the muititudss OF honest and order
loving men came crowds from the pur
lieus of crime-convict colonies poured
ont their Williams and cities emptied thei
/ Sums.